


Choices of the Weak

by Unintentionally_Sly



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Apocalypse, F/M, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-05-12 19:20:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19235479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unintentionally_Sly/pseuds/Unintentionally_Sly
Summary: An outbreak sweeps across the world, leaving people picking up the scraps of their lives, trying desperately to survive. Groups have formed, and humans have started fighting amongst each other for the resources that are dwindling down to nothing. One wrong move has left many rotting in abandoned streets or walking amongst the dead that terrorize those that have survived.Two groups are at the top of the food chain, but one person has the capability to choose who comes out on top. Do they have the cure? No, but they will decide who ultimately gets it and slaughters the loser to save humanity.(Basically a Zombie Apocalypse AU)





	1. Emblem of the Vengeful

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking of what I could write that I haven't seen others do with Hux, and a zombie apocalypse came up. I have a semi-plot planned, but most of its probably going to be me winging it.

You were running, panting heavily as the mob followed closely behind, their milky eyes following your figure. The metal pipe in your hand was leaving a trail of blood and your muscles were tense from overexertion. You had been running far too long, and the food-run you were supposed to complete had left you empty handed and hungrier than before. You turned a corner, sidestepping just in time as an arm reached out to grab for you.

You paled but didn’t stop to hit the thing that started to stumble after you.

“Shit, shit, shit!” You cursed, eyes flitting over every building in the vicinity. You knew that they could be a dead end if they mobbed in but running in the crowded streets wasn’t helping.

You took a chance, jumping through a broken window and slipped on your way down, slamming your body on the floor and into the shattered glass. The pain in your hands told you that you had gotten shards in your palms, but you couldn’t worry about it, as a gurgled groan echoed from above. 

“Shit…” You whispered, hearing the staggering as you searched around the room, darting across the creaky floorboards and rotten planks. If you were to kill the thing you were sure the noise would, alert the mob of your location. 

A squeak made you turn, and a pale hand came striking out, grabbing your arm. You went to scream, but another hand clamped around your mouth, and the hand on your arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you back into a sturdy body.

“Quiet,” A voice hissed into your ear, the anger making you still as you heard the floorboards creaked again. You reached out to pull the door closed, but a walker came trudging past, and you froze completely. You watched the sickly human lurk around, its milky irises darting around for the source of the noise. 

Eventually, it passed, its footsteps becoming nothing more than distant clunks, and you relaxed. But as soon as your body slumped, the other person grabbed you, wrenching you around to look you up and down, as if deciding if you were a threat. You gulped, the metal pipe in your hand still clutched tightly. 

The redhead searched you, landing squarely on the jacket that was draped across your shoulders. His eyes narrowed, and before you could even blink he had you against the wall, one hand around your throat while the other held your wrist with the weapon against the wall. You struggled, kicking his legs and trying to knee him in the groin, but he quickly pressed close, his forearm now pressed against your throat in a threat.

“The jacket you’re wearing…” He paused and looked at the scruffy emblem that had been manually sewn in just a couple months ago. 

Suddenly, the door squeaked again, and he quickly let go of you, instead whipping out a nasty carving knife from the sheath behind his back. And even though you were still dazed from the lack of oxygen you brought up your metal pipe, ready to fight off a walker. Instead you were met with a man, his metal arm making your mouth run dry. 

You glanced between the both of them, and your blood ran cold.

The First Order… A group that had been established after the fall of society that based their morals on the survival of their members, even if it meant killing other humans. Nothing was below them, and if you were against them you were as good as dead. Only a few other groups that had been formed during the panic had started to fight against their beliefs, but many didn’t survive the encounter, and the people that were left to die were usually eaten alive by the walkers.

And here you were, standing in front of the two leaders that had set those belief and caused even more chaos in these horrifying times.

Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux. 

“Hux,” Kylo muttered coolly, and Hux sneered, bringing down his carving knife, but it was still held tightly, as if he was ready to strike at any moment. “And who’s this?”

At the mention of you, Hux turned, and you tensed, watching the metal pipe in your hands shake desperately, knowing you couldn’t take the both of them if they decided to slaughter you. You could only hope you injured one of them enough that a walker could pick them off later. 

“This…” Hux’s eyes once again landed on your jacket, and you tried to turn the emblem away from his gaze, but he reached out and grabbed you by the collar, dragging you out into the light. Kylo watched the exchange, his lips setting into a firm line as he saw the orange and white bomber jacket, and on the side of your shoulder, lay the Resistance symbol.

A group that was meaning to destroy the First Order.

Hux once again sneered. “This seems to be Resistance scum.”

Kylo approached you, and you backed up, eyes flickering between the two murderous men.

“Wait! Wait, I-”

Before you could finish your sentence Kylo had you by the neck, his metal arm wrapping tight and causing you to choke almost instantly. You dropped your metal pipe; clawing and scratching, but the sound of the screeching metal told you that you were getting nowhere. When he lifted you and slammed you against the wall you could feel the house shake with the pressure on its rotting beams. Your vision was blackening around the edges, and you were trying to gasp for breath, feeling light-headed and panicked as he slowly started to crush your windpipe.

“P-plea…” You trailed off, eyes rolling as you tried to stay conscious. 

“Ren!” The bark that came from Hux made the pressure stop, but the metal arm was still holding you against the wall. 

You gasped for breath, your hands once again gripping his arm tightly to hold yourself up. You tried to think, tried to gain your bearings, but before you could dig through all the fuzz in your mind Hux came up close, his carving knife pressed against your cheek. Even though he hadn’t applied any pressure it cut you, blood dripping down the blade and onto the floor. The panic through the fuzz set in, and you were once again at full attention, eyes wide and alert as you started to pant.

“Tell us… Why should we save you?” He hissed the words, and Kylo tightened his grip in warning, and you tried not to squirm, too afraid that the knife would cut up your cheek to your eyes. 

“I’m…” It was hard to talk, your throat felt scratchy and dry. “I’m not part of the Resistance.”

He didn’t seem to like the answer, as the knife was pressed deeper, getting dangerously close to your eyeball. You felt sick, and you were sure that the only reason you hadn’t thrown up yet was because of the clamp stuck around your throat. 

“I swear!” You talked in a rushed whisper, trying desperately not to alert the walkers of your location. 

“And why should we believe you?” Kylo spoke this time, his voice skeptical, and you glanced at the both of them. You didn’t know who to plead with, who to convince that you weren’t part of the group that vehemently hated them.

“I… I picked it up off a dead body-” There was a snort. “It’s getting closer to the colder months and I don’t want to be left freezing.” You hissed, mustering up enough courage to glare at them. 

There was a pause, and they looked at each other. They seem disinterested, and you panicked, stumbling over words.

“And there’s a mob!” You blurted out, and suddenly they were looking at you, eyes narrowing as they motioned for you to go on. You paused, and the tension rose as you swallowed, trying to let your throat hydrate, as it was getting harder to talk.

“I went out for a food run and there were tons of them. I meant to just get in and out but…” You paused, mind flashing back to the walker that had been feasting when you walked into the abandoned store. When trying to sneak past it… It _screamed_. No inclination, no warning. Alerting every walker in the area. 

“There was a screamer,” The both of them tensed, mutants were becoming less of a rarity every day, and the death tolls kept rising. “It must have heard me, but I’m not sure how it could’ve… I took every precaution but… Anyway, a mob of walkers had swarmed, and I managed to get out but…” You trailed off, almost feeling guilty.

“But what?” Hux hissed, and he already seemed to know where you were going but didn’t want to believe it. 

“But they followed me.” You took in a shaky breath, “No matter what corner I turned or what alley I squeezed into they were _there_. I… I led them here.”

Hux cursed under his breath, taking his knife from your cheek to pace, staring at the floor in thought. Kylo watched him with interest, waiting for a good idea.

“We should go,” You blurted, including yourself because… Well, you didn’t want to _die_. “I’m sure they’re going to be-”

A mass of shuffling and groaning reached your ears, and the other two perked up as well, looking a tad panicked. 

“You’re such a fucken idiot,” Kylo hissed, tightening his grip and your oxygen was once again cut off. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right here.”

Hux swatted his other arm, “Don’t waste your time with the girl. We need to go.” He paused to look at your fuzzy eyes. “ _Now_.”

Kylo dropped you, and started towards the back door, away from the groaning. 

You shook, your body not used to the floor from hanging in the air for so long. Hux stared at you, and bent down, his cold eyes boring into your own.

“Don’t make me regret this decision.”

You nodded your head, picking up your metal pipe, following closely behind him. 

As you walked behind them you reached up to rub the Resistance emblem stitched into your jacket, lips set into a grim line.

_Poe and Leia would be pissed at you._


	2. Recruitment of the Weak

After quite a while, you found yourself on the outskirts of the town, looking at an abandoned building, the writing of the company name had long faded, leaving only a few jumbled letters that made no sense. You stared at the two in front of you, but they kept walking on, making a beeline for the door, even though there was a walker. You felt nervous, but this was the only way, and if you managed to get enough information on them maybe you could go back to the Resistance with an actually way to finally destroy the First Order.

_Or at least…_

Kylo grabbed the staggering walker by its head with his metal hand, promptly crushing its skull. You gulped.

_You hoped so._

They both stopped at the door, and Kylo glanced back at you, his metal hand coated with the blood of the walker. You stopped walking, and Hux turned to look at you too before raising a brow at Kylo.

“Do you have anything to say, Ren?” Hux’s voice cut through the silence. The taller man sneered at you.

“Actually, I do,” He stepped forward, closer to you, and you held your metal pipe closer to your chest. “Why is she here?”

“Does it matter?” Hux snipped, not looking away from the man in front of him. Kylo turned back to Hux, eyes ablaze, and suddenly it was like you weren’t there anymore.

“Of course it does.” He glanced at you, lowering his voice, and you strained to hear, but it was in vain, as Hux cut him off before you could hear any of it.

“I assure you, if that happens it will be taken care of accordingly.” 

Kylo mockingly started, “You know, with how much you’re defending this girl I would think you have a little-”

“Ren!” Hux cut him off, rage flickering in his eyes. “We lost fifteen men to a raid last week. Trust me, if we didn’t need more people, I would have allowed you to kill her.” 

The information had you sweating, but if they needed recruits that bad, they must have been thinning out more than you or the Resistance had expected. It would be better to strike sooner than later. 

Kylo opened the knob without another word, stomping inside, and you stayed rooted in your spot, unsure if you should follow the unruly man or not. Hux nodded at you, motioning you inside. You walked inside, and Hux closed the door after you. One man in front of you, one in the back, your only escape would be the window off to the side, and even that was questionable, as the man right behind you was hovering over your shoulder. 

The place seemed empty, but taken care off, and you were sure that they usually took refuge here. Kylo kicked a dusty rug up, and your eyes widened at the outline of a hatch that was big enough to fit a couch. He lifted up the door, and stairs spiraled downwards, leading off into darkness. Both men stared at you, and Kylo smirked.

“Ladies first.” His voice cut through your whirring thoughts, and you nodded, stepping forwards and down into the looming darkness. The damp air left a bad taste in your mouth, and as you descended you could hear the clunks of the boots that followed you. It didn’t help your nerves.

_“What’s taking them so long?”_

_“Do you think they…?”_

_“Shut it!”_

Voices slowly wafted up from the bottom of the stairs, and as you descended you could tell how wrong you were about the thinning of their recruits. When you finally stepped into a metallic room, your jaw dropped.

_They had an army down here!_

All the voices stopped, and many eyes landed on you. You could see all of them subtly move, grabbing for their weapons, and only when the heavy clunk of the footsteps behind you stopped did everyone in the room seem to understand what was going on.

_“A new recruit?”_

_“Seems weak to me.”_

You held back a snarl, and even though you were weak now it had been because of the fact you hadn’t eaten for so long that your body had become frail. You weren’t usually this shaky, nor did your grip loosen so often. 

You went to defend yourself, but a hand landed on your shoulder, squeezing as if telling you to shut your mouth. You did, and turned to look at Hux, his glittering eyes sweeping across the room. Kylo didn’t acknowledge you or anyone else, roughly shoving past you to split the crowd as he disappeared into a hallway. Hux snorted when he left, and pushed you forward to meet the faces of everyone that stared at you questioningly. 

“This is a new recruit,” You expected more whispers, but it stayed silent, each person hanging onto every word that fell from Hux’s lips. “And do not be swayed by her… _jacket_ ,” He spit the word, and you were reminded of the orange and white that painted you as a Resistance member. 

Hux glanced down at you, but you kept your gaze forward. “She was chased by a mob,” Everyone became skittish at the word, eyes glancing amongst each other, explaining emotions without speaking a word. “And is to be treated medically to take care of the mishaps she may have faced while escaping it.”

With that, he left, his hand leaving your shoulder.

When he fully disappeared, chatter started up once again, and you felt awkward, holding your dented and rusty pipe, dirt and grime covering your body. Everyone else here looked clean and groomed, quite unlike the people of the Resistance. You trudged over to a deserted corner and huddled up, surveying the area. 

They had so many people, and each one seemed healthy and taken care of. It looked like…

_It looked like it did before the outbreak._

You clenched your jaw and turned down to look at your feet, holding back the anger that had started to boil inside of you. 

They had everything they needed, and even more, and yet they always fought, taking resources and lives in the process. They-

“Hey!” A voice cut you out of your anger, and you looked up to find a gentle face, warm brown eyes staring back down into your own. “I noticed you were a little alone.” He smiled, and you sent a weak smile back. He seemed to notice your hesitance and frowned a bit.

“I’m Mitaka, and you are…?” He trailed off, smiling at you in encouragement. 

You suddenly remembered that nobody here had asked your name, and even the two that brought you here never once asked that question of you. 

You lightly smiled, “(Y/n)…”

Mitaka beamed, and you felt a little warmer, and though the welcome you had here wasn’t as joyous as the way the Resistance had welcomed you, it still made you just a little happy. 

“Well, let’s get you cleaned and patched up.” He gestured you forward into the base and you swallowed nervously but nodded, hesitantly setting down your pipe as you followed him through the twisting hallways. He constantly kept the conversation flowing, and you were happy to keep talking to him. He paused outside a door and you took the initiative to step inside. 

There was a wardrobe full of clothes, ranging from sweaters to shorts and you took in a sharp breath, tears coming to your eyes. It felt like a store, and not the kind you were used to now, not abandoned and quiet, but full of life, bustling with people and constant chatter. 

“Are you okay?” Mitaka’s soft voice took you from the memory and you shoved the tears down.

“Yeah. Just… remembering.” You didn’t need to say anything else, as he seemed to understand, and the both of you went silent, mourning all that you had lost.

“Well,” He started again, “You should grab some clothes that fit you, and then we’ll get you to the stream to wash you off.”

You whipped around; eyes wide. “Stream?” 

Mitaka grinned, “Yes, a stream. It’s not too far away and it’s small enough that other groups haven’t come across it yet.” He then chuckled. “I reacted the same way when I found out they had it.”

You nodded slowly, turning back to the clothes. Mitaka fell silent, and when you grabbed something that you hoped would fit he led you back through the same twisting hallways, greeting people and momentarily introducing you to everyone he came across. He was helping you fit in and integrate yourself, and although you appreciated him for his kindness you felt a heavily ball pit itself in your stomach. Though some seemed distant and cold, many were… friendly. Human even.

The exact opposite of what the Resistance had always preached.

You shook the thought from your head. 

No, these were horrible people, and they deserved to be finally taken out, and with all the resources they had it could easily feed the many orphaned children that the Resistance had taken in. With a nod, you set your mind on the fact that you were doing this to save others. 

Mitaka led you up the stairs and through the abandoned building once again, and while he chatted to you your mind wandered back to the people you were leaving. They would think you were dead, and if you did come back how would you explain to them what happened? That _Armitage Hux_ a ruthless killer allowed you to live? It sounded made up, even to your own ears. 

“And here we are!” Mitaka exclaimed, gesturing out to the little stream that was buried in the forest behind the building. He turned to you, and you couldn’t help but look around.

It was almost out of a dream, every rock was flowing with a thick stream of water, the light of the afternoon sun peaking through the leaves and casting an amber glow across the forest floor, and even the birds still chirped out here. You smiled, and even Mitaka seemed to be taking it all in, closing his eyes to take in the peaceful silence that enveloped the area. He slowly came back to himself though.

“I’ll be behind this tree while you wash yourself and change.” He explained, pointing to the tree he would sit behind, and you thanked him, walking over to the lake. 

But you paused.

You could run away now and never look back, go back to the Resistance and be met with open arms once again. But you had a chance here to give the Resistance a chance, to help out the people who actually deserved it. But if you were caught… It would be for nothing, and the Resistance really would be down another person. 

You turned around, and Mitaka was already out of sight, respectively keeping his eyes away from you. 

You stared at the building that was barely visible from here and thought back to the people who needed saving.

_Yes, you would be willing to sacrifice yourself if it meant helping those more important than yourself._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted friendships and I thought of Mitaka. Who doesn't like this sweet boy? I mean, he deserves some happiness in his life.


	3. Integrating

Back at the base in warmer clothing you felt cleaner than you had in months, but your hands and cheek were throbbing in pain, and when Mitaka had finally brought you to a medical room you were relieved. He bustled around as you sat, grabbing things he thought he would need, and when he was finally seated you held out your hands. He slowly started to pick out the shards of glass that had been stuck.

“So, Hux mentioned you were chased by a mob?” He started conversation, trying to get your mind off the buzzing pain that shot through you. 

You nodded slowly, “Yeah, I had gone out for food and I had the luck of encountering a screamer.” Mitaka paused, gripping his tweezers tightly, but didn’t comment. “I suppose I made some noise, as it signaled every other walker in the vicinity of my presence. I ran, and managed to get out but there was so many of them…”

You trailed off and scowled, and a silence fell over the both of you. Your hands were slowly bandaged, and as you stared at him tie the wrap around the both of them you rose a brow. “How are you so good at this?”

He grinned, looking wistful as he explained, “I was going through medical school before the outbreak. I was hoping to be a surgeon.” 

“Oh… I’m sure you would have been amazing.” You smiled at him, and although he looked sad at his lost opportunity he smiled back. 

“I’m sure I would have, but I have my hands full around here even though I didn’t complete my studies.” He smiled, slowly tying a thick black string around a needle. You tensed, and he peered forward to look at the cut on your cheek. He clicked his tongue, bringing up two fingers to further inspect the wound.

“That’s quite deep,” He started, pulling back to adjust the string and needle, sanitizing both before he bent you down, so you were laying on your back. “Stitches are going to be the only thing that lets it heal fully. I’m surprised you weren’t bleeding more…”

He slowly pierced the needle through your skin, and you looked away, trying to hold back the urge to throw up as you could hear his fingers slide across your skin and the prick of the needle surging in and out of your cheek, skin tugging as he gently stitched you up. Mitaka placed his other hand at the base of your jawline to steady your shaking skull but didn’t comment on your paling skin. He had seen such reactions before, but in times like these complaining was met on deaf ears and no one cared if you couldn’t handle a needle. If you wanted to die, then so be it. 

He paused, bringing scissors up to snip off the excess string and tied a thick knot to make sure it stayed in place. He smiled, looking down at his work as he patted your arm reassuringly. 

“You did well, I’ve seen grown men throw up at just the thought of having a needle come near them,” He joked, and you chuckled, gently brushing your fingertips across the wound, feeling the bumps of the stitches. 

“Well, thank you Mitaka, I’m sure we-”

A loud beeping made you freeze, eyes darting around as Mitaka looked calm.

“We have a meeting every day. This is the signal for it.” He explained, holding a hand out for you to take as he pulled you up, leading you through the hallways once again. “They divvy up duties and decide who’s going on food runs, who’s going out to recruit, all those things. It’s very efficient. Usually it doesn’t last long and we can go back to our normal routines if you weren’t chosen.”

You listened intently, and when the two of you made it back to the main room Mitaka grew concerned. Everyone was whispering, glancing between each other and looking ready to pounce or make a quick escape. 

“What’s happening?” You whispered to Mitaka and he shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.

“Quiet!” An order barked from the front of the room and silence descended quickly. 

The tension in the room was palpable, and you squeezed yourself to the front and froze. There lay a dead body, two lines slit across the neck, blood slowly trickling out. A trail of blood led into another hallway, and it was obvious that this person had been dragged out here, only killed a few hours prior. Lifeless eyes were still open, rolling back into their skull, skin a sickly pale and mouth open, as if in a silent scream. Nobody stared at the body too long, afraid that they might be accused of the murder.

“Who did this?” The whispered question made you look up, staring at the icy eyes that had recruited you not too long ago. Hux was standing over the body, not looking fazed as his eyes swept across the crowd, looking for the perpetrator. 

“I said… Who,” He paused to prowl along the edge of the crowd, staring into the eyes of men and women who stood stock still. “…did this?”

He stopped in front of a man, staring him down accusingly. He gulped, shaking in front of Hux who sneered and turned away. Then, like a predator he spotted you, but walked back to where he was originally standing, his eyes still resting on your figure. He brought a hand up, gesturing towards you, and with horror you realized he was motioning you forward. You slowly walked up, gulping as the tension in the room rose. You walked around the body and to him.  
Did he think you did it?

You had only just gotten here, there was no way you could have done it. Even if he accused you, Mitaka was with you the whole time, he could argue for you. You glanced to the crowd to look for him, but as you spotted him he looked as shaken as you were, and you clamped your mouth shut. Then, when you finally looked back to Hux, he asked a most peculiar question. 

“Do you like it here (Y/N)?” 

You glanced down at the body, swallowing as you looked back up at Hux who was watching your every movement like a snake waiting to strike.

“Y-yeah…?” You squeaked the word out, ending it questioningly, like you were expecting to be told you were wrong, but he didn’t say anything.

He stared down his nose at you, looking unimpressed as he muttered, “Interesting…” He quickly turned back to the crowd that was watching and hissed one word.

“Leave!”

Nobody uttered a word, scattering like roaches before you could comprehend what was happening. 

“Mitaka!” Hux barked next to you, and the man in question jumped but turned around, staring at the man with wide eyes. Hux gestured him forward, and he slunk, looking almost meek as he trudged forward. 

“Y-yes?”

Hux narrowed his eyes and grabbed your bicep, shoving you forward slightly. “You will be taking her to the new room.”

Mitaka’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “New room?”

Hux sneered, dropping your arm as he looked down at you. “Since we have an…” He glanced to the dead body, “… _Opening_ … I think she could fit nicely where he once was.”

You felt queasy at the thought of taking the room of someone recently dead, but you couldn’t voice your protests as Mitaka was already nodding, grabbing your hand to drag you away from the scene. You looked back to see Hux watch the two of you go, and when you were out of sight you tugged on your arm to get Mitaka to release it. He did, slowing down in the process. He stopped to lean against the wall, pressing a hand to his chest as he took in deep breaths. You looked down at the trail of blood, lips setting in a firm line as you looked up to talk to Mitaka, but stopped short when you saw the small frown on his face.

“Are you… okay?” You took a step back and Mitaka shook his head.

“No…” He looked quite nervous. “These murders have been becoming more common as time goes on. Since there’s no way to test for DNA or look at cameras the only way to tell if someone is the murderer is if somebody catches them in the act.” 

He paused, looking ready to cry. “I… I don’t want to die…”

He trailed off, looking down at the dried blood on the floor. He didn’t look queasy, just… scared. You stepped forward, pressing a hand on his arm. You knew how it was, how quickly people slipped through the radar only to be found dead a few days later. Whether it was by a friend recognizing their face as they moved with the walkers or if their possessions were found next to an unrecognizable body it always left a feeling of emptiness even if you didn’t know them.

Another lost, another not alive to fight for another day. 

Mitaka lightly coughed, looking embarrassed as he pulled away from you, turning his back to you. “I think we should get going to your new room.”

You pursed your lips but didn’t push it. “Yeah, lead the way.” 

The rest of the walk was met in silence, and when you finally reached the door a worker was scrubbing away the blood, disinfectant as heavy in the air as the smell of blood. He paused, looking up with a glare on his face, but it slowly melted away as he saw you two.

“Mitaka! It’s so good to see you again!” 

Mitaka lit up and grinned, “I thought you were sent out for a food run?”

The guy slowly stood, setting down his brush as he dusted his knees off the best he could. “I was, but we came back early. I guess the grocery store a few miles away was finally empty enough to be raided. Usually it’s packed full of walkers, but I guess something else must have caught their attention.” 

Your eyebrows furrowed in question. The walkers behaviors were getting more erratic by the day, and it was getting harder to predict their movements, which spelt trouble for everyone.

You were yanked out of your thoughts by Mitaka nudging you.

“Alastor this is (Y/n). (Y/n) this is Alastor.”

The man before you held his hand out, sending you a charming smile. “Nice to meet you, and don’t worry, your room has been thoroughly cleaned. I even managed to get a bed in there seconds before you guys arrived.” 

You didn’t answer, and although Alastor seemed concerned Mitaka only laughed. “I told him this was your new room while you were zoning out. No need to look so suspicious.”

You went a bit red as the both of them laughed.

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

Alastor brushed off your apology, waving his hand. “Well, I gotta get back to work, but if you two ever want to join me for a meal you can. I desperately need to hear how you joined us (Y/n).” 

And with a wink he got back to working, scrubbing at the dried blood as Mitaka passed him to open your door. It looked new and smelled heavily of disinfectant. You frowned at the lack of colors, white and metallic being the only thing that painted the walls and furniture. It was a small room, but it was enough for someone who had become used to laying down on a cot in cramped abandoned buildings that the Resistance usually set up base in. Sometimes even a cot was a luxury that couldn’t be afforded, as it went to those who were sick or too young to even understand what was happening around them. 

You sighed and sat down on the bed and couldn’t help but to relax. For months you hadn’t touched something as comfortable and the fact you had your own room was unimaginable. You smiled and Mitaka tapped the side of your door. He didn’t look happy, instead he seemed a bit solemn, as if he suddenly remembered something.

“I’ve got to get going,” He started, and went to open his mouth once again but shut it. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. “Goodnight (Y/n).”

“…Goodnight?”

He turned around to the door that still hung open.

“And also…” He paused to look back at you, a guilty look resting on his face. “Good luck.”

“Good luck with what?”

But he didn’t say anything and just let the door close, leaving you to wonder exactly what he meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep things rolling each chapter as I don't think in a zombie apocalypse anything would trudge on unless it's very important. And I'm trying to set up friendships quickly, as I think everyone knows their life is fleeting and they have to enjoy the little moments that they do have.
> 
> Also, if you see any mistakes please tell me. All of the chapters have been done while I'm half-asleep and running on fumes, so I would appreciate it if you point out anything that makes absolutely no sense or just something incorrect with the spelling.


	4. Lamb to the Slaughter

You were awoken by heavy breathing, your own hair brushing along your ear as someone loomed over you, bed pressing deep into the metal frame as it strained from the excess weight. You kept your eyes closed and your breath even. There was shuffling and you felt slight weight on your arm before it disappeared completely, the person instead opting to spoon you, bringing something cold up your arms. Goosebumps riddled your skin as it traveled, and when it pressed into the side of your neck you knew who this was. You didn’t want to believe it, so you lay still, staying calm as a chuckle brushed past your ear, rising in volume.

“Do you think I’m stupid?”

Your heart stopped, the growl digging almost as deep as the blunt side of the knife that was pressing against your jugular hazardously. Just one movement and he could flip the knife around and kill you. Suddenly you were being shoved off the edge of the bed, the knife pulling away from your neck as you put your hands out to catch yourself. You stumbled, and a hand entwined itself into the hairs at the base of your head, yanking back so you could look into the eyes of your crazed attacker. They were brown, lit up with a sadistic pleasure as he watched you. 

“I’ve been doing this for a while now, do you really think I’m not going to know when someone’s faking sleep?”

You shook your head as best you could, voice stuck in your throat as he pressed the blade once again against your throat, dragging the tip of the blade up until it hit your chin, forcing you to tilt your head even further. He grinned, and your breath went shallow, tears beginning to form in the corner of your eyes as realization slowly dawned. This would be it. You let in a ragged breath, trying to stop yourself from crying. You had always told yourself in your final moments you wouldn’t cry, and you intended to keep that promise. The man hummed, content with watching you desperately try to pull yourself back together. 

“I think I’ll slit of those nasty little vocal cords first…” He purred, letting his head fall to brush his nose against your own so you were forced to watch him stare into your eyes, analyzing every detail as you shook in his hold. “I don’t want you screaming, it might bring some… _unwanted attention_.”

He ended his sentence with laughter, but it was low and quiet, enough to not alert anyone, and you had half a mind to scream before he could do anything, to at least allow someone to catch him before he killed you. But fear won over, your complacence willing your throat to go dry, whispers becoming nothing but a whine of breathy air. He grinned, the sharp side of the blade lingering over your throat as he savored the despair that made you go limp in his hold.

“Dirk,” The door opened, revealing Hux, a gun held up as he stared down at the man that instantly tightened his grip on you. There were others surrounding Hux, and through your swimming vision you could see Mitaka hovering, disappearing behind the bulky bodies that all held weapons of their own, eyes trained on the man that had begun using your body as a shield. “I suggest you put the girl down unless you want to be shot.”

His cold voice cut through the room, and the man behind you only laughed, the hand that held your hair tightened considerably, and you were sure there would be bruising. “Shot?” He squealed like a pig, yanking your body into his, further protecting himself from the people that slowly entered the room. “I’ll be shot if I put the girl down.”

Hux didn’t comment on the man’s observation, instead allowing his men to slowly surround him. “Dirk, you have a chance. Let go of the girl and I’ll let you out of the building. You’ll be on your own, but you’ll be alive.”

The persuasion did nothing to calm Dirk, instead he backed into a corner, making sure no one could get behind him. He let out a harsh bark of laughter, metal stinging into your throat as your ears started to pound, heart beating in panic. “I’ve killed too many, you won’t let me go. Besides,” He snapped your head back, and you could _feel_ the grin that slowly spread on his lips.

“If I’m going down, the girl does too.”

Following his words someone shot, the bullet whizzing straight past your ear and into the eye of Dirk who didn’t even have the chance to scream. You stood frozen as the knife clattered to the floor, followed closely by the dull thump of a body as Dirk went limp, blood pooling around your feet as you stared at Hux, watching the way he slowly released his finger from the trigger he had just pulled. He stared right back, unmoving as the body was pulled from the room and you felt as if he was waiting for you to break, to crumple to your knees and start crying. Only when Mitaka whizzed past him did he snap out of his reverie, turning to bark orders at his men that had begun to collect around the door.

Mitaka started looking for injuries immediately, babbling out apologies as he inspected each wound, but you could barely hear him through the ringing in your ears. The shot still rang through the room for you, bouncing of the walls and imbedding deep into your eardrums. You had heard gunshots before, hell you had even fired a few guns before, but… The way Hux fired… No warning, no emotion… Not even a twitch. You shuddered, and Mitaka frowned deeply, turning your head to the side to inspect another wound.

“…took off a bit of the earlobe.” 

You snapped back to reality, furrowing your brow as you sent Mitaka a questioning glance, he had the courtesy to grimace.

“Hux shot a bit of your earlobe off when he fired,” Your body went cold, and all the adrenaline that had been pumping through your veins seemed to seep out, making the throb in your ear apparent as you hissed, clenching your teeth in an effort to stop yourself from reaching up to touch it. “If you’re lucky it won’t impair your hearing.”

You could only nod, turning your gaze to the redheaded man that stood in your doorway, back ramrod straight as he looked out to the hallway, watching his men scatter around in a desperate attempt to appease him. You frowned as Mitaka fretted over the cuts that littered your neck, not deep enough to warrant too much concern, but enough that Mitaka was leading you to the bed to get a better look at everything that had been done to you. As he worried over every tiny laceration you had you fell deep into a blank state of mind, trying to wrap your head around all the events that had just happened. As you did, Mitaka handed you a cloth, instructing you to wipe off the blood that coated the side of your face, as he didn’t want to mistake Dirk’s blood for your own. You nodded numbly, not fully registering his words until you were done, and then you felt sick.

You turned to the wall that Dirk had huddled the both of you into just moments before and the blood splatter on the wall made you turn away quickly. 

You didn’t want to be reminded of it.

“I’m so sorry,” Mitaka muttered under his breath, cleaning up your ear, and as you questioned why he was apologizing his words from before he left you alone rang through your ears.

_“And also… Good luck.”_

You grabbed Mitaka’s wrist roughly, snapping out of your dazed thought with the sudden rage that ran through you. Mitaka looked confused, but upon seeing the way your lip curled and your eyes hardened he looked guilty immediately, glancing at another area of the room as it all fell into place.

“You knew this was going to happen,” You accused, hissing in his face as he didn’t answer, just swallowed. You shook his wrist, “Was I only a lamb being led to the slaughterhouse?” You shouted, gaining the attention of the men hovering around your door.

Mitaka opened his mouth to explain before shutting it firmly once again, guilt eating away at the edges of his eyes. You shook him more fiercely, “Tell me you coward!”

“I.. I did but-”

“You knew he was going to come for me! You knew that I would be in danger and you didn’t tell me! You said ‘good luck’. What the hell am I supposed to get from that?” You were practically spitting in his face, and Mitaka cringed away, uncomfortable with the way you leaned in towards him, accusations filling the air.

“I suggest you calm down.” You snapped your head up to Hux who stared down at you passively. 

“Calm down?” Your grip tightened around Mitaka’s wrist, and you held onto it for leverage, trying to stop yourself from jumping up at the man that had a gun holstered on his right hip. “I’m not going to calm down because you suggested me to do so. I-”

“It wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order.” The way his eyes seemed to darken made you pause, reeling back on your bed. 

Suddenly he sighed, resignation falling into the stress lines in his face. He looked almost ten years older, tired and annoyed as he stared down at you like a child that had been throwing a tantrum. Although you felt the urge to hook him you also felt ashamed, even though you had no reason to feel so. 

“It was planned from the start. A few others and I had been trying to catch Dirk for a while, and while we guessed it was him, we couldn’t just kill him. We needed proof, evidence and witnesses. While the world outside is chaotic I will not allow this chaos to start overtaking my halls. We didn’t need people thinking we were going on a mindless manhunt for a murderer we didn’t know the name of. So, we started planning this a week ago.” He paused, taking in a deep breath.

“So, when you stopped Kylo from killing me…” You trailed off, realizing you had stepped into his plan as soon as he saw you. That was why he had saved you, pulling you into the closet away from the zombie. He just needed to put on a show to make you think he didn’t want you, as nobody trusted others these days. 

“That’s right. As soon as I saw you, I knew you’d be perfect. Dirk’s kills had started to become more frequent, and as time passed, he got bolder too. He started taking his time, toying with those he chose to kill, so we knew we had a bit of time before he would likely slit your throat.”

Your hands became clammy at his words, and Mitaka lightly pried your hand off his arm.

“I needed somebody weak from being on the run, someone who I could immediately shove into one of his victims’ rooms without it being suspicious. Since you were new and didn’t know your way around you were the perfect kill.” 

Hux summed it up with that chilling sentence and you stared down at your knees, and as you noticed your hands were shaking you clamped them around your thighs, not wanting to showcase that you were still afraid. Mitaka rested a hand on your shoulder to comfort you, and although you didn’t want to be touched you took it for what it was and didn’t complain. Hux bent down on one knee to look up at you, becoming almost gentle as he once again spoke.

“I hope you understand this was the only thing we could do to save the lives of many others.” His voice was stern but soft, and you nodded, trying not to look into his disappointed eyes. He stared for a few moments, as if waiting for something before sighing and standing up once again. 

“Mitaka,” The man in question went tense, turning to look at the redhead. “After you finish tending to her injuries you shall take her to another room, as she can’t sleep in this one.” 

Mitaka nodded, and Hux left with the rest of the men that had been listening to the exchange. As soon as the door closed tears started dripping from your eyes, the stress from everything that had happened finally bearing down on your shoulders. 

Mitaka slowly comforted you, tending to your wounds as best he could with your shaking body. When he was done he swept you in a hug and you apologized for everything you had yelled at him for. He just kept rubbing your back, letting you cry out the rest of your tears until your eyes were rimmed red and a slight headache started to form from dehydration. 

“Thank you Mitaka…” You muttered as you pulled away from him, and Mitaka smiled.

“That’s what friends are for.”

You felt guilty as you smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who commented thank you so much! It keeps me going. 
> 
> And sorry for the long wait between uploads, I always tell myself I'm going to write, but my brain goes blank as soon as I try. 
> 
> And if you all have anything you REALLY want to see happen, please comment, I'll try and incorporate it if possible.


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